food

Kids' Foods Increasingly 'Fusing' With Adult Fare

danimalsChildren's foods and menus are reflecting adult tastes and nutrition concerns to a greater degree than ever before in the U.S.--a term dubbed "Kid-Adult Fusion" in a new report from the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and market research provider Packaged Facts.

Fresher, nutrient-enhanced/nutraceutical and downright exotic fare for growing children and even infants are among the significant emerging opportunities within the rapidly growing kids' F&B market, which exceeded $38 billion last year, according to the "Kids' Food Culinary Trend Mapping Report." Beverages, savory snacks and desserts/sweet snacks have been showing the fastest growth.

One of the newest manifestations of "fusion": Sending kids to school with "bento boxes"--American versions of traditional Japanese lunchboxes--instead of PB&J and chips. These packaged lunches follow the Japanese food pyramid (three parts grain, two parts vegetables and fruits, and one part protein) and emphasize portion control, visual appeal, textural diversity, packaging that minimizes disposables and "above all, a sense of whimsy." Fried and sugary foods are verboten. (And no swapping your tofu for an extra scoop of brown rice.)

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So far, bento boxes have caught on among a "subculture" of parents and just a handful of retailers and manufacturers, according to the report.

Parents who are hard-pressed to find time to home-package lunches each day, but worried about school cafeteria fare, are turning to other new solutions. Services that whip up and deliver impeccably healthy, prepared lunches to schools are an emerging trend, at least among the affluent in some major metro markets. The meals--which cost up to $7.50 per day--offer nutritionally sound selections featuring fresh ingredients and kid-friendly tastes.

Meanwhile, the culinary range of babies and toddlers, once limited to the likes of applesauce and pureed meats, is now going global and ethnic, as multiculturally minded parents seek to instill an early appreciation of a broad range of healthy foods and flavors in their offspring. Asian influences, including ingredients such as Indian lentils, coconut, adzuki beans and cardamom, are particularly popular because of a "halo" perception that Asian foods are pure and nutritious, say the analysts.

In addition, among those who can afford it, high-end frozen baby food is replacing jarred varieties. Frozen foods offer a fresh, healthy, additive-free alternative to home cooking of organic meals, and another opportunity to educate palates early toward appreciating the taste of fresh, wholesome foods.

Away from home, casual and family restaurants--which are hip to the reality that kids' preferences often determine the dining venue-- are "dramatically" increasing their kids' menu options, CCD/PF report. Healthier kids' main entrée selections that are traditionally associated with adults, such as fish, are being added to favorites like grilled cheese, as are kids' side dishes borrowing from adult menus, including vegetables and fruit. Furthermore, specialty kids' beverages offerings (fruit juice and soda concoctions, sometimes with candy or other garnishes) mirror the adult specialty cocktail trend.

What about kids who just won't cotton to those healthy, multicultural cuisines? "Hidden nutrition," such as concealing vegetable or fruit purees in dishes like macaroni and cheese, is another increasingly available option. CPGs are offering nutritionally enhanced kids' beverages and frozen snacks and meals with healthy, hidden ingredients--such as carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash in pizza pocket fillings.

Even more common are "new functional" kids' products. "Antioxidants, probiotic bacteria, omega fatty acids and even mood foods have found their way into a wide variety of products, from infant formula to frozen snacks for kids as old as 11," CCD/PF points out. Formulas and cereals containing DHA and ARA omega acids are also proliferating.

To date, probiotic cultured dairy products, such as Dannon's gut-healthy Danimals yogurt products for babies and toddlers, have achieved "the greatest consumer acceptance" within the kids' nutraceuticals' segment, the report notes.

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